Money, Blessings, Prayer, Giving

What does the Gospel of Matthew say about Blessings and a Blessed life?


Matthew Ch 5
Jesus spoke from the mountain to His disciples;

5:3 Blessed are the poor in Spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
5:6 Blessed are they which hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled.
5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
5:11 Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
11:6 Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

These are some of Jesus' first teachings on a blessed life lived for the Kingdom of Heaven. He speaks throughout the gospels of the sadness which comes from earthly riches. Sound like the comfortable 'blessed' life full of faith we have here in the States?

However despite Joel Osteen's message of an overly abundant "blessed life" through Christianity, most of the New Testament's teachings are warnings to people of the church about how they worship or how they lead their lives calling themselves "Christians".

NIV version:

Matthew 6:1-4
How do we give?
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in Heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues, and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. So then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Matthew 6:5-8
How do we pray?
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love praying standing in synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go in your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep babbling on like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.


Does this sound a bit different from the way we handle prayer in our churches or meetings? What about how we give? Don't we all enjoy taking the family to do work with the homeless with all of our church friends? Doesn't it feel righteous? After all Jesus commanded us to help the poor, didn't He?


Jesus tells us all about a rich life worth living. He speaks throughout the gospels of just how rich with blessings our lives can be. Let's see if it matches up to what we might think.

Matthew 6:19-21
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupts, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

We have all heard this verse and brushed it off with the thought of "well I'm not rich, Bob down the street is much more wealthy than I am and he is a Christian". Maybe you should think of it this way; The money which you make in one day at the average job for a 30 yr old male could provide healthcare for an entire village for one year in Ghana, Africa. Just the pay from one of your important days.

How many vehicles do you own? How expensive is your home? Do the kids share rooms? Is it comfortable enough for your standards?

Matthew 6:25
"Therefore I say to you, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than clothing?"

Matthew 6:31-32
"Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things."

Matthew 10:39
"He that finds his life shall lose it: and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it."

Matthew 19: 21-24
"Jesus said to him, if you want to be perfect, go and sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus to his disciples, surely I say to you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

But "rich" in our society is only having more than most of those around us. In several other countries, "rich" would be considered having enough food to not hunger. So what is "rich". I would consider rich as having more than what is necessary for survival.